Pallet Bookshelf

D.j. Stuart
by D.j. Stuart
5 Materials
$25
3 Hours
Easy

Reclaimed pallet projects are a great way to get into woodworking and making for two reasons: one, they’re really easy and two, old pallets can be found for free if you know where to look. Any store that has a garden center or warehouse will have extra pallets laying around and if you ask nicely they are usually happy to let you take them of their hands.


This project is a reclaimed pallet bookshelf. It’s incredibly simple to make and looks great when its done.


This was the pallet I used, It was pretty beat up a couple of coats of paint at the end made it look really nice.

The first step is to cut your pallet in the correct spot. Pallets come in different forms and you will want one that is similar to the one pictured. You will then want to cut it just above the second slat. This will give you one slat in the front and two in the back. (Refer to the picture for clarification)

The next step is to close up the bottom. This area is open on all pallets to allow a forklift to pick it up. I had some scrap plywood laying around that I cut to size and screwed in place. Alternatively you can pull off one of the other slats from the pallet and use that as the bottom piece. Drill pilot holes through the bottom piece into the three vertical pieces and screw it in place.

Now it’s time to finish your shelf. I opted to paint mine white because it was going in a room with some other white furniture. However you could use stain, polyurethane, boiled linseed oil or any other wood finish that you prefer.

The last step is to mount the shelf on the wall. These shelfs end up being pretty heavy so make sure they are mounted to studs and not just drywall. Now you’re all done! Fill your shelf with books and enjoy!

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 27 comments
Next